I’m in the book of Judges again today. So pick up your Bible and open it up to Judges 6. Yesterday, we talked about the fact that God was asking Gideon to lead an army. Gideon was sure a a few things; first, he wasn’t even sure it was God who was asking him to take on this huge task, and then, he wasn’t sure if he could do it! Can you relate?

Does that remind you of anyone else we’ve heard about in the Bible? Many of the Bible’s main characters, not the least of which might be Moses…

The Bible is so rich with examples of people just.like.us. It’s interesting to follow the story of Gideon and to see how he responds to the Lord, so let’s go back to verse 16 in Judges chapter 6:

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah[a] of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

It’s wonderful to notice that God did not lose patience with Gideon. Even though Gideon doubted Him, even though he did not obey the first time, God understood his heart, and He did not lose patience with Gideon. God has something that He wants us to do.

The Bible says that while man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart. So as you go about your day today and you think of all things that you have to do, remember that God is looking at your heart. He’s not asking you to be perfect, or to follow Him perfectly, and tomorrow we’ll see yet another opportunity that Gideon has to follow the Lord and another example that he chooses to ask the Lord for a sign. Join me tomorrow as we continue in Judges chapter six.

Hi moms! I’m going to try something a little different this week, and encourage you to do a little bit of reading on your own. I’d like to take you through the story of Gideon for the next couple of days—it’s a story of faith that will encourage and inspire you.

Take a look at this passage: Judges chapter six. I’ll read a little bit for you on the podcast, but I’d like to encourage you to read the chapter on your own if you get the opportunity. It’s interesting to note that in the beginning of Judges chapter six, we see that again, the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord. Again.

I love to read the Old Testament to our children because there’s so much that the kids can learn from watching how the Israelites followed God and didn’t follow God, and what the consequences were for. Because really, the players have changed, but God hasn’t changed. His Word and His law is still the same.

So, here we find that the Israelites are in trouble again. Have you ever felt that way? (I have!)

11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

I can’t believe how Gideon argues with the Lord! It’s fascinating to see God’s patience with us, and love for in this situation, isn’t it? It’s also interesting to note that God sent a messenger to Gideon and yet Gideon believed that he needed proof of God’s call on his life in order to lead Israel. He said, “My family is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least!”

You see, Gideon recognized his own weakness, but God uses ordinary people whose hearts are to serve and obey Him.

If your heart is to serve and obey the Lord, He will use you! He has a plan for you and a purpose for your life, just like He had for Gideon. Tomorrow, we’re going to keep talking about Gideon, so take a moment, open your Bible, and read Judges, chapter six.

Well, it’s Monday. I don’t know about you, but I’m finding that the older I get, the faster the time is going! Maybe it’s because there’s so much to do. Life is full when you’ve got kids and parents and work and … well, you know. But how do you find time for yourself? Good question.

Are you struggling to find time to take care of yourself? I bet if you’ve got kids you are!

Check out I Corinthians 6:19-20

Or, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you who you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”